Clear skin diet: Foods that bring acne relief

You may be able to eliminate blemishes by making changes in what you eat.

You may be able to find help for your face by looking in your kitchen.
(Photo: gpointstudio/Shutterstock)

Pimples, pustules and blackheads. What do you
do if you have
acne and want your skin to get clearer? You can slather on
creams and take acne medication, but you may want to start by changing your diet.

About 17 million people in the U.S. have acne,
according to the National Institutes of Health, and they're not all teenagers
dealing with the perils of puberty. Whether you're helping a teen clear up his
face or hoping to erase the imperfections that have popped up on yours, there
are studies that link certain foods and nutrients to
improvements in your skin.

Although genetics may
play a factor in the appearance of your skin, watching what you eat may improve
skin quality tremendously.

Vitamin A is
an active ingredient found in many skin treatment lotions and pills like
Accutane. It's used in synthetic form to help clear up severe acne and ease
symptoms of psoriasis, reports the
University
of Maryland Medical Center
. Too much vitamin A can cause toxic side
effects, so talk to your doctor before taking supplements. Good sources include
spinach, carrots, pumpkin, broccoli and eggs.

Zinc is a mineral that may
prevent acne by making it difficult for the bacteria that causes acne to grow,
reports
WebMD
. Some reports show that people who have acne have lower than normal
levels of zinc. You can find zinc in turkey, nuts and wheat germ.

Whole grains are great for your overall health, and may be good for your
face, too. A study in the
American Journal of
Nutrition
suggests you might have fewer breakouts if you eat more whole
grains.

Selenium is an essential mineral found in the body that fights damage
from free radicals, including to the skin.
One study found that
selenium, paired with vitamin E, may improve acne. Sources of selenium include
Brazil nuts, tuna, halibut and ham.

Omega-3 fatty
acids
help ease inflammation, which can sometimes
lead to skin problems. You can find
omega-3s in seafood, particularly fatty fish
like salmon and sardines, as well as walnuts, flaxseed oil and almonds.

Antioxidants can help protect the skin against some of the damage you get
from the sun and from aging. But smaller studies have shown that they may also
ease breakouts. Find them in
green
tea
and foods that have vitamin C (oranges, lemons, tomatoes) and vitamin E
(sweet potatoes, avocadoes, spinach).

Probiotics are the good bacteria that help with digestive health. New
research shows that they may also help with the skin. The American Academy of
Dermatology notes that people prone to acne may find improvement with daily
probiotic use. Get probiotics from yogurt labeled "live, active
cultures."

Other simple changes

Staying hydrated helps keep your skin healthy. (Photo: mimagephotography/Shutterstock)You may have heard that one way to flush out
toxins in your skin is to make sure you’re
drinking enough water. There's no
definitive research that shows that toxins lead to breakouts, but in general,
staying hydrated helps your skin stay healthy, so it's always a good idea to
drink plenty of water.

Some studies have shown a link between dairy —
particularly skim milk — and acne breakouts. Although the connection is weak,
it may have something to do with hormones and growth factors in milk, says the
American
Academy of Dermatology
. If you consume a lot of dairy and have unclear
skin, you may want to cut back on dairy and see if it makes a difference.

Foods that spike your blood sugar (called
high-glycemic foods), such as white bread, pastries and soda cause your
pancreas to make extra insulin in an attempt to regulate blood sugar levels.
But insulin also signals the sebaceous glands to manufacture and secrete an
oily substance called sebum, which in elevated amounts causes the
bacterium
P. acnes to proliferate and clog up the hair
follicles. So again, go for whole grains instead of white breads, white
rice, sugary snacks and junk food.

Fighting inflammation

Eating lots of vegetables is a smart move for a healthy face. (Photo: Maridav/Shutterstock)Eat foods that don’t promote inflammation. Inflammation
can manifest in many different ways from heart disease to unhealthy-looking
skin. Foods like vegetable oils (especially cooked ones, which are prevalent in
fast food) and refined grains are all high in omega-6 fatty acids.

Opt instead, as previously mentioned,
for
foods
rich in omega-3 fatty acids
.
Although it may seem counter-intuitive to some people with bad skin that fatty
foods can clear skin, cold-water oily fish like salmon have anti-inflammatory
properties. Don't like fish? No problem, there are other sources of omega-3-rich
foods including walnuts, beans and flaxseed oil.

Squirting a teaspoon’s worth of cold-pressed
seed oils like flaxseed in a low-sugar, high-protein smoothie may also help reduce
inflammation.

And load up on the fresh fruits and
vegetables. They're packed with antioxidants which are great for your skin and
overall health.

What to avoid

Not all vitamins may be good for your skin.
New research suggests that high levels of vitamin B12 may change the bacteria
that's normally found on your skin, making it more prone to acne. The study,
published in the journal
Science Translational
Medicine
, doesn't suggest that people should cut back on their vitamin B12
to avoid getting pimples. "I don't think we have studied enough to suggest
that," study leader Huiying Li, assistant professor of molecular &
medical pharmacology at the University of California, Los Angeles, told
HealthDay.

Watch your alcohol intake. After all, alcohol
is a sugar. As mentioned above, sugar can spike insulin levels which can cause
inflammation, possibly leading to an acne-producing domino effect.

For overall health and wellness, including skin quality, eat a diet that is overwhelmingly comprised of all-natural and unprocessed foods. Your skin is your largest organ. Eating lots of junk food will ultimately lead to less than optimum health — and unclear skin.

This story was originally written in May 2011 and has been updated with the latest information.